Is this really a surprise to anyone? The US is second only to the USSR in incarceration rate. The disenfranchised, e.g. foster children, will certainly suffer disproportionately under such a system. The lack of social safety nets, mental health services, etc. certainly play a role, but the larger issue is the authoritarian nature of the US regime.
While we do incarcerate too much, I don't think the solution is necessarily "incarcerate less" as much as it is "Nurture families more and create stable environments for children to grow up in so that they feel wanted."
I don't think anyone would disagree that a better home environment is fundamental. But do you think that, in general, the longer sentences and higher rates of incarceration (especially for non-violent crime) in the US compared with other developed nations are beneficial?
Publishing names and mugshots of arrestees prior to convictions, the existence of the sex offender registry, rampant human rights abuses in prisons, loss of voting rights for felons, and the explicit allowance of slavery as punishment do not make it seem like the US "justice system" even approximates the humanist notion of justice that other developed nations apparently aim for.
